Search intensifies in Madrid for missing SDSU student

(CBS 8) - Friends and family of 22-year-old Austin Taylor Bice have launched a massive search for the SDSU senior, who was last seen trying to get into a nightclub in Madrid last Friday.

It's a disappearance that has baffled authorities and has his loved ones praying for the 22-year-old's safe return.

The international business major had been participating in a semester abroad program.

Fewer than 24 hours before he vanished, Bice posted an entry on his blog, saying that he was looking forward to seeing a concert at Sala La Riviera, a popular nightclub in Madrid. "Hopefully it will not disappoint," he writes. "It should be a fun night."

He was last seen late Friday night trying to get into that club, but was denied admission because he was drunk, according to Spanish media.

"He stayed outside a little while longer with another friend to see if they would let him in," friend Tamara Lerena said on local Spanish television. "When they didn't, he just took off and went home. They let his friend in."

Bice then told the friends he was with he was going to walk home, but apparently never made it.

When the Carlsbad native and 2007 Torrey Pines High grad did not show up for a basketball game the following day, his roommates contacted authorities.

"We called his house several times," a friend told Spanish media. "He didn't open his door, so we went in. He wasn't there, so we started calling the hospitals, we started calling the police."

A massive search has since been launched throughout Spain's capital, with flyers plastered around the city. A Facebook page has also been dedicated to finding the SDSU senior.

No one matching Bice's description has been admitted to any hospitals in Madrid, according to Spanish media.

"At first, the police thought different thing," Lerena said. "They started thinking about the river. But his American mobile phone was still sending out a signal. But if he had fallen in the river, the phone would not be giving out a signal."

Gina Jacobs, the spokesperson at S.D.S.U.. says the school is communicating with Bice's family, authorities in Madrid and the State Department. "He is one of our students and so we are deeply concerned about his safety and all we can do is provide the information that might be helpful to the authorities over there," Jacobs said.

Bice's father told Spanish media that his son has not used any of his credit cards since his disappearance.

According to the university where he was studying, Bice had not sent any emails since last Friday afternoon.

Bice's father has flown to Madrid to help police search for his son, according to friends of Austin Bice.

News 8 spoke with Austin's family Thursday evening in Carlsbad. They say they are not ready to comment publicly on the case.

In Monday’s Daily Dose, we’ve got a tour around San Diego your belly will thank you for. San Diego Restaurant Week allows you to explore your favorite areas and score great deals on food along the way.

In Monday’s Daily Dose, we’ve got a tour around San Diego your belly will thank you for. San Diego Restaurant Week allows you to explore your favorite areas and score great deals on food along the way.

A rare spectacle in the sky captivated people around the world on Sunday night – including those here in San Diego. A lunar eclipse of the so-called “Super Blood Wolf Moon” was a stunning sight for dozens who gathered at Balboa Park.

A rare spectacle in the sky captivated people around the world on Sunday night – including those here in San Diego. A lunar eclipse of the so-called “Super Blood Wolf Moon” was a stunning sight for dozens who gathered at Balboa Park.